Venom
by Arctic Banana
Summary: Two traveling Pokemon near the end of their journey when one is gravely injured. Can he be saved in time or is this the end?


_This story occurred to me in a dream, probably because I've been playing too much Pokemon lately._

* * *

Rhyhorn looked up when he heard the rustling of tree branches above him. A few leaves fell from the trees and landed on his face. He shook his head to remove them. Staring down at him from the branches above was none other than his frog ninja companion. Greninja scurried higher still until he could see over the forest and looked out over the expanse beyond. Rhyhorn wished he wasn't so heavy and bulky that he couldn't even climb a tree. Greninja seemed almost entranced by the view, so he imagined it was spectacular. The frog Pokemon turned his head every which way in a swift and rapid manner as he surveyed their surroundings and got a bearing on where they should go next.

There was electricity in the air and the wind was picking up. Greninja's tongue billowed in the strong breeze, flowing like a silky, pink scarf behind him. Rain was coming. That was perfect for Greninja, who loved rain and felt stronger when the water poured down on him, but that was bad news for Rhyhorn. Rain made him weaker and left him feeling vulnerable. He didn't like stormy weather and he wanted to get out of it as soon as possible.

Greninja was alerted to Rhyhorn's plight when a few drops of water fell from the sky and the rock Pokemon shrieked and ran in circles, trying to find a spot under the trees that blocked the most rain. It was just a light drizzle, but he knew it would pick up fairly soon.

The frog looked directly at the rhino. _"Come."_

Greninja leapt from the tree branch and bound down the path. Rhyhorn reluctantly followed. He didn't want to step out in the open, but he knew his companion would expect him to follow. Sure enough, Greninja led him to a large boulder, which he promptly leapt up and sat upon. He turned to face Rhyhorn and tapped on the boulder with one hand. Rhyhorn didn't need to question what he meant by that gesture.

He reared up on his hind legs and planted his stony paws on the face of the boulder. Using the immense strength that Pokemon such as Rhyhorn were known for, he pushed the boulder along a muddy slant. Greninja sat on top and egged him on, stopping him when it was moved far enough. The boulder had been blocking a small cave, just large enough for a Rhyhorn to fit inside. He quickly backed into it so that he faced outwards. The crevice was too narrow to turn around, but it faced away from the wind and was facing downhill, so it should help to keep the rain away from him while he waited out the storm. Greninja would be okay out in the rain by himself. Indeed, he seemed to welcome it as the water drenched his blue and purple body.

"_How much longer?" _Rhyhorn asked. He wanted to know how much longer they'd have to walk before they reached their destination, thus completing their journey.

"_Almost there. We should be able to make it within the next two days or so," _Greninja said.

Greninja was an older Pokemon who was nearing the end of his life cycle, not that anyone could tell just by looking at him. He was just as swift and graceful as he was as a Froakie and though he couldn't take as much of a hit as he used to and sometimes overestimated his capabilities, he was still a skillful and determined fighter. Rhyhorn was a lot younger and was just starting to enjoy life. They had been traveling together about two seasons, which wasn't all that long by human standards, but to a Pokemon two seasons was plenty of time to forge a lifelong friendship. Greninja had been traveling alone before the two met and he welcomed his companion with open arms.

Rhyhorn was not wild and had previously been a racer born in human captivity. Born to two champion parents, there had been nothing but greatness expected of him. While most captive Pokemon like Greninja had experienced human kindness in their lives, there were a few unlucky ones that somehow managed to fall into the hands of those who didn't care about them as living beings. His owner had been obsessed with winning. Meeting his expectations would bring praise and reward, but should he come in any place but first, Rhyhorn would be punished and neglected. Eventually he became so miserable that he barely won a single race at all and he was eventually confined to a pen, doomed to spend the rest of his life in solitude due to his inability to win.

Then along came Greninja. Rhyhorn wasn't sure where he'd come from or how long he'd been hanging around the pen before he came into direct contact with him, but he remembered their meeting like it was just yesterday. Greninja looked directly into Rhyhorn's eyes through the slat in the pen's walls. Then slowly, he reached for the door and unlatched it. He ran off soon after that, leaving the door open and the choice up to Rhyhorn whether or not he would follow. After much internal debate and the realization that this was his last chance to get away from his cruel owner, Rhyhorn took the bait.

It soon became apparent that he didn't know how to survive on his own. Rhyhorn had been pampered and cared for by humans since his birth and he lacked much of the instinct that a wild Rhyhorn would have. He couldn't even tell which berries were edible and which ones would make him sick on his own. Eventually, when he was on the verge of turning back and hoping his human would forgive him for leaving and take him back, he stumbled into Greninja again. This time the frog didn't bound off into the forest again. He didn't seem to mind Rhyhorn following him and didn't attempt to stop him.

Rhyhorn wasn't sure what he was looking for in following his companion, but Greninja on the other hand knew exactly what it was he was seeking. He was looking for the human who had raised him ever since he was a Froakie, the one who had looked right directly at him while making his choice on his first Pokemon and immediately thought, "This is the one." This was the same human he had evolved to a Frogadier to protect from an angry Fletchinder, the same one he had honed his skills with in battle for years, the same one that had loved and cared for him even when he lost a battle.

It wasn't his choice to leave his side when he did. His Pokeball had been stolen and by the time Greninja realized that it wasn't his rightful owner that had him anymore, the two were already miles away from each other. He had fought off the thief's Pokemon and crept, injured, into the forest, where he wandered for years until he found Rhyhorn.

"_You think he'll take you back?" _Rhyhorn asked.

Greninja was half asleep on the boulder as the rain lulled him into a light slumber. He turned his head towards the Rhyhorn, who remained half hidden in the small cave. _"It wasn't his choice to give me up," _Greninja replied.

"_He has other Pokemon. What if he replaced you? What if he moved on?"_

Greninja thought of the other Pokemon that he had been friends with for years. There were five others that he had traveled with extensively, four of which were still around, a Krookodile, an Umbreon, a Houndoom, and a Scrafty. The fifth member of the team was still alive but long gone. His owner was more active during the night ever since childhood, and as a result favored the dark type Pokemon that tended to lurk after hours. All of them were valued friends and each of them meant the world to their master, but Greninja didn't think he'd ever be replaceable in his owner's eyes. He would always be his first, and for that he was special. They'd been through too much together for him to just throw him away and replace him.

"_He'll take me back," _Greninja promised. _"He'll take you too." _True, Rhyhorn wasn't a dark type, but his owner had a soft spot for the Pokemon species, and he knew for a fact that he'd take in a lost Pokemon looking for a home regardless of its type.

Rhyhorn was a little unsure about this idea. He had often seen the love and adoration that the other Rhyhorns had received from their owners, whether they had won a race or not, but he'd never experienced it himself. Even when he won there was something fake in the affection his owner had shown him. As a result he was a little uncomfortable and uneasy around humans.

"_If you say so," _he replied before resting his head in his paws and falling asleep.

* * *

It was dark. Greninja loved the dark. Just like the rain, he thrived in it. There was nothing better than a damp night in his eyes. Unfortunately this night wouldn't be quite what he was hoping for as he soon realized upon awakening sometime just after sundown.

Greninja's eyes opened when he heard the squeal of tires and a loud, painful yowl. The car sped off down the road towards the human town, leaving a painful groaning in its wake. Curiosity overwhelmed the frog and he lept up into the trees, leaping from branch to branch with all the skill and grace of a Pansage before finally coming to the portion of the road where the sound had come from.

It would seem he had overheard a hit and run. A wounded Nidorino struggled to stand on its back legs. Everytime he stood on them, they collapsed under the weight and he hit the pavement. Slowly he attempted to drag himself to the side of the road.

Greninja dropped from the trees and crept over to the injured Pokemon, crouching down low before it so as not to appear threatening. _"Do you need help?" _he asked. He couldn't help it. He couldn't stand to sit back and watch an injured Pokemon struggling, especially one that had been hurt through the carelessness of humans. His owner had always sought to help out a Pokemon in need and some of that sentiment had rubbed off on him.

The Nidorino growled at him and took a defensive stance, all the while trying to stand up again. _"No help! You go!"_

"_I could run to the human town and bring back help if you want,"_ Greninja offered. _"I'm sure they have a Pokemon Center. Someone there will be sure to come back with me and help you."_

"_Piss off!" _the Nidorino hissed._ "No help from humans! Only hurt!"_

Greninja looked a little distressed by his harsh language. He crept a little closer than was comfortable to the wounded Pokemon. _"If you don't want human help, then at least let me..."_

The Nidorino pulled himself sideways a few inches before doubling back. _"I said piss off!" _he growled. The Nidorino used what little bit of his strength he could muster to ram into Greninja's side. The poison barbs on his body pierced Greninja's delicate skin, causing the startled Pokemon to shriek with pain and leap back to get away from the sharp prickles.

A caustic, purple fluid seeped out of the damaged skin in the frog's shoulder and side. Greninja crawled away backwards, holding the wounded arm up off the ground and keeping his eyes on the aggressive Nidorino. The venomous Pokemon finally collapsed at the side of the road, only this time he didn't attempt to get up. His eyes met Greninja's. They reflected the same fear that now radiated from his own, along with anger, anger for having been hurt by humans who didn't stop to help, and even more misplaced anger at Greninja for daring to try to do something about that.

The amphibious ninja turned and fled back into the woods in the direction that he came, leaving the wounded Nidorino behind to die alone. The pain and delirium was already beginning to overtake him and he only hoped that he got back in time.

* * *

Rhyhorn yawned when he awoke. He realized that the stars were out, which meant they'd be traveling in darkness again. He was already used to it by now as his companion seemed to love traveling by night. Speaking of the devil, he saw Greninja creeping past the cave. He seemed to be hopping on three limbs with one of his arms clutched close to his side, but Rhyhorn barely noticed in his drowsy state. _"You're up already?" _he asked. Greninja didn't answer and continued to hobble past the cave, past the boulder, and past the nearby bushes, where he collapsed amongst the tree roots.

By then Rhyhorn had gained enough of his senses to realize that something was wrong. He could smell the blood droplets in the wet grass and got up, forcing himself out of the narrow crevice, and charged over to his companion's side. Greninja was shivering, almost as though he had caught cold, but it was very unusual to think that a water/dark Pokemon would catch illness from being out in the rain at night. Thinking of the blood trail, Rhyhorn nuzzled Greninja's arm until he was able to see where the poison barbs had pierced his skin earlier with the help of the moonlight. The skin was discolored and had already begun swelling from the toxins that seeped out of the puncture wounds. Rhyhorn instinctively tried to lick the wounds, but the fluid they oozed tasted terrible and Greninja writhed in pain from the contact, forcing him to stop.

"_What happened?"_ Rhyhorn asked. Greninja didn't answer. He wondered if the frog even knew that he was there. Rhyhorn lifted his head in the direction he had come from and looked through the trees, just in case whoever had wounded him had followed him back with the hope of finishing the job. The trees were still and just as lifeless as they had been a moment ago and the peaceful singing of the Pidgeys and Fletchlings nesting above had been since replaced by the eerie and foreboding sounds of the hunting Noctowls and Zubats.

He knew he'd have to leave Greninja's side and find help. He didn't want to abandon his friend, especially not while he was so weak and helpless, but he would surely die of his injuries if he didn't go now. What would he do? Was there another Pokemon out there that would be willing to help him? Did he run down the nearby road to the human town? He thought about the various plants in the woods surrounding them and decided that perhaps he wouldn't need that much help at all, if only he could find a poison-curing berry around here somewhere. Berry bushes were everywhere in the forest during the summertime.

Rhyhorn carefully tucked Greninja underneath some bushes and pushed the wet, moldy leaves over him with hopes that they would keep him concealed from view. He startled a Foongus that was hiding underneath the detritus, though the tiny Pokemon seemed content to just slink back inside a rotting log than fight a Rhyhorn. He hoped that this would be enough to camouflage him from any Pokemon that might wish to harm his friend while he was defenseless and bolted off through the forest, hoping that he could find what he was looking for.

* * *

Greninja heard a screech in the trees above that could only be coming from a Mandibuzz, no doubt waiting for him to die so that she could eat him. They usually didn't come out at night, but this one seemed to be enticed by the smell of his blood and decided to get in wait for breakfast. The thought scared him. He felt so exposed and defenseless where he was and there was no telling what other enemies were lurking in the forest, waiting to close in on him for a quick meal. He shifted his arm, pulling it in closer, hoping to shield the oozing puncture wounds in his side.

A flutter of wings alerted Greninja to the fact that he was no longer alone. A Honchkrow accompanied by a trio of Murkrows landed in the grass next to him and came forward. The Honchkrow sniffed at his shoulder and then pecked at it. Greninja tried to swat him away, but the Honchkrow fluttered just out of reach and hopped back, not even caring in the slightest that what he was attempting to eat was still alive.

The Murkrows were about to join him when all four of them froze in their tracks and backed up slightly before flying away. The air behind Greninja was suddenly sucked of all its remaining heat. He weakly turned his head to see a Pokemon emerging from nothingness using a ghost-type move that appeared to be Phantom Force. He'd known a single Pokemon that had been fond of that move and he'd found it to be an eerie one at that. Was this Pokemon coming to claim him too?

The Pokemon towered over Greninja and its very appearance seemed to frightened off any other Pokemon that had been lurking nearby, including the Mandibuzz that had been circling overhead just a moment ago. Its very body seemed to be irradiated with darkness and the energy seeped into the wounded Pokemon below, making him feel a little stronger, but not enough to shake the venom that rapidly overtook his body. It stared down at him, its face shrouded in darkness and bordered by the starry sky above. The view was surprisingly calming and serene looking, despite the fear that Greninja felt that this was to be the end and he would die without ever having been reunited with his trainer.

"_I don't want to go..." _Greninja whimpered. _"Not yet..."_

The massive Pokemon seemed surprised to hear his words and tilted its head. _"Then hold on just a little longer,"_ it replied.

Greninja realized that he knew who this Pokemon was. It was not the harbinger of death that he had thought it was, at least not for another couple thousand years or so. It was a friend, one that he had not seen in many years. The Pokemon crouched down beside Greninja and shielded him under one of its massive wings. _"Help is coming," _Yveltal promised. _"Just hold on."_

* * *

It wasn't long at all before Rhyhorn came across a patch of berry bushes located in a moonlit clearing. The berries were round and a light blue in color. Greninja had once said that this berry had a medicinal property that could help heal injuries faster. Rhyhorn wished he could remember what he'd said of the other berries that weren't as familiar to him. He gathered a few of the Oran berries up for his friend, hoping that they'd at least help with the open wound, but they weren't quite what he needed for poison.

Greninja had told him about the medicinal effects of all of the berries that he had been familiar with. Some berries didn't have a medicinal effect and seemed to be there just for eating or had some kind of motivating effect in battle. Some could help a Pokemon that was suffering from confusion or helped soothe burns or frostbite. He remembered there had been one that could neutralize poison, but he wasn't sure which one it was. Greninja had only shown him the Pecha berries once as he claimed they had an unpleasant flavor and were unfit for eating otherwise and seemed to prefer Rawst and Aguav berries. He must not have liked sweet things since the flock of Pidgeys and the Ledyba that they were sharing the bushes with seemed to enjoy them just fine.

He continued sniffing around. They'd eaten so many berries during their journey for food rather than medicine that Rhyhorn's memories of all of them were blurred. He didn't know any of them by sight, just which ones they liked to eat and which ones Greninja recommended to avoid. He could only remember the Pecha berry by name and not appearance. He began to wonder if he should perhaps take a few of each of them, but he wasn't sure if Greninja would be able to tell the difference in his state either.

While he was busy debating, he lifted his head towards the edge of the forest when he heard a car coming down the road. The headlights cut through the darkness. The car slowed down as it approached the end of the road. Humans? Could they possibly be of help? Greninja had spoken quite fondly of them and said that while some couldn't be trusted, there were many humans that would be willing to help them with something if they just knew how to ask for it. He was uneasy at the thought of having to ask a human for anything, but right now he felt a little desperate.

After a lengthy argument with himself over the decision, Rhyhorn charged off towards the road, hoping that the humans could understand what he was trying to tell them.

* * *

Scrafty heaved a heavy sigh as she stood by her owner at the side of the truck. A curious Pawniard attempted to peer out the closed window to see what they were both seeing. A dead Nidorino, its rear half crushed by a car, lay at the side of the road. It appeared to have died just recently, apparently after having crawled its way out from the middle of the street with the last of its strength.

"Another one. I keep telling people they need to look where they're going," her human shook his head. He went to the back of the truck and got a blanket. Careful not to touch any of the poisonous barbs on the Nidorino's body, he wrapped it in the blanket and lifted it to the back of the truck. "We'll bury it on the way back, old girl," he said solemnly to the Scrafty. "You can ride in the car with Pawniard. I won't make you ride in the bed with it."

Scrafty was about to get into the truck with him when she spun around at a sound emanating from the forest. She tilted her head, wondering what was making that sound. "What is it, girl?" her owner asked before he stopped when he heard it too. It was coming closer. Scrafty stood her ground in case it was something she'd have to defend her owner and the young Pawniard from.

A Rhyhorn smashed through the trees and stopped just short of the Scrafty. He appeared to be in distress. _"The berries!" _he kept screaming. _"Which ones for poison?!"_

"_Pecha," _Scrafty replied calmly. The Rhyhorn continued to stampede around in place. Scrafty could tell her owner was getting a little nervous and didn't know if he should be prepared for an attack or not. He looked to the young Pawniard in the truck, wondering if he would be able to help fight off a Rhyhorn with his lack of skill.

"_Pecha? Which ones are Pecha? I only know Oran!" _Rhyhorn replied frantically.

Scrafty suddenly pieced together what she believed might have happened from the evidence given to her. The frantic pace he stumbled around in as well as his panic in identifying Pecha berries suggested that someone somewhere had been poisoned.

"_Follow me! I'll show you the berries!" _Rhyhorn shouted before charging back off into the forest.

"Well that was a strange encounter," the human said when he saw the Rhyhorn retreating just as quickly as it had arrived. He stared on in shock when his Scrafty took off after him into the forest. She ignored his pleas to stay put, or at least show down so he could follow her.

Rhyhorn stopped at the berry patch. Scrafty quickly got to work sorting out each one. These weren't the right ones. She followed her sense of smell, hoping to pick out the distinctive sweet odor of the Pecha berries as she moved from bush to bush. An after-storm breeze blew through the trees, blowing with it a mixture of smells, some of leaves, one that might have been a nearby Spritzee, and many that smelled like various berries. Her sense of smell wasn't as good as it used to be so she couldn't pick out any one scent. She passed some more bushes. Cheri berries. Chesto berries. Neither were what she was looking for. Luckily there was another nearby patch of berries. The berries were almost a peach shape with a sweet, pink color and green leaves. Pecha berries. She quickly gathered a branch and gave them to the Rhyhorn.

"_You want these," _she said.

"_Thank you!"_ Rhyhorn replied. He took the branch in his mouth and charged off back into the woods.

Scrafty turned her head when she heard her owner emerge from the forest with a flashlight and the Pawniard in tow. _"What was that about?" _the Pawniard asked her, reiterating their trainer's statement.

"_We should follow him and make sure he's okay," _Scrafty replied. She motioned towards her owner and tried to convince him to follow.

"Oh great, now you want me to run back to the car after I just got here, don't you?" he asked in exasperation. "I'm getting way too old for all this running you know..."

Scrafty nodded. She knew.

* * *

Greninja weakly opened his eyes and turned his head. Yveltal was gone and there was not a trace of it ever having been there left behind. Had the legendary Pokemon really been there at all or had he just imagined it? After all these years of being away, what was it that would have made Yveltal show up to comfort him anyway? Did he sense a fallen friend nearby or was it chance? Or was it, like he was beginning to assume, his imagination, a hallucination brought on by the toxins creeping through his bloodstream?

There was movement beside him. Greninja noticed that there was a small horde of Foongus gathered around him, hiding amongst the leaves that obscured him from view and laying beside him. He wondered what they were doing there and realized that they must have been protecting him in case the Murkrows came back. How sweet of them. He wondered if this was Yveltal's doing, if Yveltal had ever been here at all. As a legendary he held some level of persuasion over all Pokemon he came across.

Yveltal had been one of his trainer's most prized Pokemon. Many had eagerly requested battle with it just to see the legendary Pokemon in action and Greninja couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of this. In the end though, Greninja and Yveltal were friends and partners. Most knew it as a creature of destruction that would one day absorb the life energies of many others before returning to dormancy, who thrived on darkness and induced fear in all those who saw him, but Greninja knew it as a Pokemon that enjoyed mint Poke Puffs and long, cold nights, and liked to fly its owner to various places all over the Kalos region and beyond.

Though many had tried, you could not keep a legendary in captivity, not for long anyway. After enjoying many years of battling alongside Yveltal, Greninja and their trainer bid it goodbye as it returned to the darkness from whence it came. Every now and again they'd see what might have been a sign of the legendary looking over them from afar, but they hadn't been sure whether or not Yveltal really had been there at all.

The Foongi all scattered and buried themselves in the wet leaves around him, some of them retreating to a hollow log. Greninja could see a few of them peeking out as they watched headlights cutting through the forest in the distant road and realized that they were hiding from a passing car. Greninja tried to lift his head and make a sound, hoping the driver would stop and help him, only to watch as the light passed behind the trees and kept on going. He was too far away from the road to be visible to the driver and had gone unnoticed. The Foongi gathered around him again, one of them nudging his face with its stubby arms as though trying to keep him from falling back to sleep.

Greninja was about to give up. This was it. This was the end. He had come so far and failed to meet his goal. He would never see his beloved trainer again and he was doomed to die alone out here in the forest. Well, he wasn't really alone. The friendly little Foongi were there to keep him company and protect him and he was sure that if Yveltal had indeed visited him earlier, it was still out there, watching over and protecting him. He may not have seen his trainer again, but at least he'd seen his old friend, whether in a hallucination or real life it did not matter. He was happy to have seen the legendary at all.

That was when he heard a stomping sound. The headlights of another car were coming down the road and there was a large, shadowy beast charging in front of them. The car stopped when the creature turned and smashed through the trees in a blind fury and slid to a halt in front of him. Greninja realized that it was Rhyhorn when the rock Pokemon started licking his face and pushing the leaves off of him. The Foongus had since scattered once more, once again watching from the trees to see what was happening.

Rhyhorn placed the branch of Pecha berries in front of Greninja. Greninja recognized the smell immediately and stirred slightly, lifting his head and sniffing at the fruits. His eyes slowly shifted and took in the sight of the human and the Scrafty standing nearby. The human seemed shocked to see him lying there by the tree roots and silently stared, unable to make a sound or step forward. Footsteps through the brush behind them revealed a curious Pawniard scampering towards them, only to stop when the Scrafty grabbed him and kept him back.

He pushed his tongue out of the way and reluctantly ate the berries that his companion presented to him. He had to force them down. Most Pokemon liked the sweet taste of Pecha berries, but he found them to be too sugary and overwhelming to his taste buds. Still, he knew he'd have to eat them if he planned on making it to another day.

Somehow he managed to choke down every single berry. He still felt weak, even as he swallowed the last one and felt the venom being neutralized within him, and he lay on the ground motionless, except for a few, brief swishes of the tongue to let Rhyhorn know that he was still alive.

Rhyhorn stepped just off to the side to make way for an approaching stranger. Greninja heard the footsteps in the grass and leaves and opened his eyes to meet the Scrafty. She examined him closely and stepped back in shock. He suddenly realized that this Scrafty was not a stranger.

"Greninja?" the human's voice said. "My Greninja? Is...is it really you?"

Greninja called out in a low tone to his trainer. The human ran forward and threw his arms around the Pokemon and wept over him. Greninja nuzzled his arm, so finally glad to see him again, so thankful that his long journey had finally come to and end and he could go back home to Vaniville. It must have been fate that brought his trainer to him this night. There was nothing else that could explain it.

"I thought I would never see you again!" he sobbed. Greninja felt himself being lifted up. The few remaining leaves that covered him fell to the forest floor. "Come on. I'll take you home," he promised.

He tried to hide the dead Nidorino in the back of the truck from his view by covering it with a tarp, but Greninja had already seen the blood. He recognized the Pokemon's smell and felt a little bit of himself die when he realized who it was hidden under there.

Scrafty herded the young Pawniard to the car behind them. She put him inside the truck before leaping into the bed where the trainer placed Greninja, intent to look over her old friend on their journey home. She noticed Rhyhorn looking forlorn from the trees and motioned for him to come closer.

"_Come,"_ she said.

Rhyhorn was reluctant to follow, but when he looked into the eyes of his companion in the backseat, he knew he would be expected to do so.

* * *

Umbreon was cuddling at Greninja's side, just as he always did when they all slept. It had been years since the Pokemon had the comfort of his frog friend next to him during the daytime when they were all sleeping. Greninja reached for the container of berry juice that had been left beside him, a gift that his Chesnaught friend from next door had brought him to welcome him back, knowing that he was the only one around that actually liked to drink the bitter juice that their Shuckle made from Rawst berries.

Greninja lifted his head when he heard the clicking of claws on the hardwood floors. Houndoom poked his head into the room to check on him, as he had always done when he made his rounds about the house to make sure everything was in place and everyone was okay. He gave Greninja a knowing nod, as if to say _"Welcome home," _before continuing on.

Greninja had a few problems with the newest addition to the team's curiosity getting the better of him. Pawniard had been hatched sometime within the past year or so and thus was unfamiliar with the Greninja that his master seemed to favor, though he had often heard the Krookodile tell stories about the many times they'd fought alongside each other and decided to see if those stories were true. More than a few times Scrafty had to chase the young Pokemon off before he started to really bother him. Other than that, he was settling back into his old life quite easily.

Greninja carefully got away from Umbreon without waking him and crept to the window, hopping to the tree outside and using it to get to his friend below. Rhyhorn was a little surprised by the blue ninja that suddenly landed right directly on his face, but he calmed down the instant that he knew who it was.

"_I told you he'd take you," _Greninja said. He liked to remind Rhyhorn every night about how his..._their _owner had been a lot kinder than Rhyhorn's previous owner and that he would gladly keep him.

"_You never told me his mother raced Rhyhorns," _he replied.

Greninja shrugged. _"I did tell you he had a soft spot for them though, didn't I?"_

The pair sat there listening to the Kricketunes singing in the frosty air of early fall. _"You were right though," _Rhyhorn said. _"Some humans are better."_

There was movement in the house behind them as their owner stirred and got up. Soon he would be bringing them food, Rawst berries for Greninja and an assortment for Rhyhorn. He hadn't seemed to figure out which ones Rhyhorn liked the most just yet. They did realize he'd be a little angry with Greninja for being up and about when his wounds hadn't healed completely yet.

Greninja was bidding goodbye to Rhyhorn for now and was about to go back inside before he got caught when a massive shadow passed over the moon and briefly obscured the light._ "Greninja, who is that?" _Rhyhorn asked.

Greninja stood up straight on his hind legs and looked out over towards the Pokemon that had landed in a nearby field. Its wings were resting on the ground to support its massive weight and the Pokemon had its head held high as it looked over the landscape and rested its gaze upon the homy, Vaniville cottage that they lived in. Yveltal's eyes seemed to make contact with Greninja's and he couldn't help but feel as though the mighty legendary were smiling. Yveltal took off once more and disappeared into the night just as quickly as he had arrived.

"_Just a friend," _Greninja replied. _"He looks after us sometimes."_

* * *

_Author's Note: Yeah, I'll admit. Dark type Pokemon are my favorite, though I have a little more variety than that in my main team. Three dark types at a time tops...four whenever I decide to level up Umbreon for a bit...  
_


End file.
